The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), CFM International, and GE Aircraft Engines broke ground here today for a new aircraft engine maintenance training center.
At the same time, CFM International (CFMI), a 50/50 joint company of General Electric (GE) of the United States and Snecma (Safran Group) of France, is celebrating 10 years of CFM56 reliability in China.
The new training school, scheduled to open in 1996, was developed jointly by the CAAC, CFMI, and GE to support operation of CFM56, CF6, and, later, GE90 engines in China. The center is the first of its kind in the country and reflects the growing CFMI/GE presence in the region.
The training center will soon begin operation in temporary facilities. CFMI and GE are equipping the school with CFM56-3 and CF6-80C2 training engines and are providing a full-time instructional staff.
The school curriculum will feature comprehensive, hands-on courses in basic engine introduction, line maintenance, fan balancing, borescoping, and other skills. The curriculum is identical to that provided at CFMI and GE training facilities in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Melun-Montereau, France.
The first CFM56-3-powered Boeing 737-300s were delivered to Yunan and China Southwest airlines in 1985. Today, Chinese airlines operate 108 737s with 14 more on order, including leased aircraft. In addition, China Eastern and CAAC have on order 11 CFM56-5C-powered long-range, four-engine Airbus Industrie A340s.
The CFM56-3 fleet in China has achieved an outstanding reliability record over the past 10 years. These engines have logged nearly 1.3 million flight hours while maintaining a 99.99 percent dispatch reliability rate. During the entire 10 years, there has been only one engine-caused in-flight shutdown. At the same time, the fleet has achieved a shop visit rate of .023.